An X-linked long non-coding RNA, PTCHD1-AS, regulates autistic behaviors in humans and in mice

There are ~100 genes or copy number variants (CNVs) used in genetic testing for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, or autism). These genes are protein-coding, and the associated phenotypes often extend beyond socio-behavioral traits seen in autism including cognitive/medical complexities, epilepsy, and ADHD. Here, we characterize 27 males with ASD through whole genome sequencing (WGS), delineating X-chromosome microdeletions that implicate the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PTCHD1-AS as an ASD-susceptibility gene (OR=2.56, p=0.01). Two Ptchd1-as knockout (KO) murine models, created by removing the evolutionarily conserved exon-3, show ASD-like features in males, increasing repetitive behaviors and impairing typical social behavior and communication without overt cognitive comorbidities or ADHD-like behaviors. Hippocampus-dependent synaptic function, complex learning, and locomotor activity are unaffected in KO mice. Native nuclear-enriched mouse Ptchd1-as showed sustained expression from post-natal day-7 onward in the dorsal striatum, a predominantly GABAergic brain region implicated in ASD. Multi-omics revealed transcriptomic alterations in striatal oligodendrocyte, astrocyte and neurons impacting myelination and plasticity pathways. Disrupting Ptchd1-as led to reductions in conventional Protein Kinase-C, altered Src and GSK3α/β phosphorylation, and an enhancement of synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation and long-term depression). Together, these findings implicate striatal molecular and circuit level dysregulation via Ptchd1-as in ASD etiology.